1. Field
The present invention relates generally to coupling of optical elements, and more particularly to alignment and coupling of an optical element with an optical fiber end.
2. Background
Various applications are known that involve the fusion of a silica disk or rod onto the end of an optical fiber. In general, devices of this type are made using a fusion splicing technique that relies on heating using a laser or arc source. In this approach, the silica disk and the optical fiber are heated simultaneously to create a fused region and generally the silica disk is of similar diameter to the optical fiber, or larger. In addition, such a method would involve fusing of an optically flat silica disk or a solid cylinder, with no other optical or mechanical features.